Uncle Lim looked fierce and cruel to me. His step daughter Mary would surely agree with me. Uncle Lim, his wife Auntie Lim and the 6 year old Mary were my neighbours.
We used to live in a kampong and it was quiet and peaceful until the Lim's family became our next door neighbours. Fortunately for us, they only lived there for a year.
Certain things in life, one could never forget even though they may have happened many years ago.
The story I am going to relate happened when I was about 10 years old.
Uncle Lim was about 30 years old and his wife was 5 years younger than him. He was unemployed but his wife struggled to keep the family of 3 going. Auntie Lim worked as a dance hostess at the old Happy World Cabaret in Geylang.
Almost every evening, a trishaw rider would come and transport Auntie Lim to the Cabaret. She would come home very late in the night.
Whenever Auntie Lim was at work, Uncle Lim would beat up Mary for the slight wrong she did. Mary would cry and screamed and pleaded for the neighbours to help her but no one dared to help her. Next day we would see the red cane marks on Mary's hands and legs.
Mary was Uncle Lim's step daughter. We did not know what had happened to Mary's father. We suspected that Mary's father was either killed or imprisoned for being a gangster.
I noticed that Uncle Lim was a body builder. He was seen to spend a lot of time lifting weight. He was big built and a bully. As a child, I was always afraid of him.
We used to live in a kampong and it was quiet and peaceful until the Lim's family became our next door neighbours. Fortunately for us, they only lived there for a year.
Certain things in life, one could never forget even though they may have happened many years ago.
The story I am going to relate happened when I was about 10 years old.
Uncle Lim was about 30 years old and his wife was 5 years younger than him. He was unemployed but his wife struggled to keep the family of 3 going. Auntie Lim worked as a dance hostess at the old Happy World Cabaret in Geylang.
Almost every evening, a trishaw rider would come and transport Auntie Lim to the Cabaret. She would come home very late in the night.
Whenever Auntie Lim was at work, Uncle Lim would beat up Mary for the slight wrong she did. Mary would cry and screamed and pleaded for the neighbours to help her but no one dared to help her. Next day we would see the red cane marks on Mary's hands and legs.
Mary was Uncle Lim's step daughter. We did not know what had happened to Mary's father. We suspected that Mary's father was either killed or imprisoned for being a gangster.
I noticed that Uncle Lim was a body builder. He was seen to spend a lot of time lifting weight. He was big built and a bully. As a child, I was always afraid of him.
Lunch was ma bo tofu, mushrooms + veggies and rice. Simple but satisfying and healthy.
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